Russia 110214 Basic Political Developments

Japanese opposition criticize government for anti-Russian rhetoric

http://en.rian.ru/news/20110214/162588443.html
03:08 14/02/2011

Anti-Russian rhetoric by the Japanese premier made the foreign minister's recent visit to Moscow 'pointless,' a Japanese opposition leader said.

A week ago, on Japan's Northern Territories Day, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan called an "inexcusable rudeness" Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Kunashir, one of four Kuril Islands disputed between Japan and Russia. The statement sparked an angry reaction from Moscow.

"Due to the spontaneous statement by Prime Minister Naoto Kan, the foreign minister's visit to Russia which followed became absolutely pointless," said Shigeru Ishiba, a leader of Japan's major opposition party, the Liberal Democratic Party.

A dispute over the islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan, has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty to officially end World War Two hostilities. The islands were seized by Soviet forces at the end of the conflict.

Tensions have escalated since November, when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made the first visit by a Russian leader to one of the islands, 7,000 km from Moscow.

The Japanese foreign minister, who paid a visit to Russia on Friday amid the growing row over the Kuril Islands, said the postwar period in the Japanese-Russian relations will end only when the peace treaty is signed.

Ishiba also criticized the foreign policy of Kan's administration, blaming the prime minister for worsening ties with the U.S. and no improvements in relations with Japan's major neighbors - Russia and China.

"For the first time, they [international relations states] are bad in all directions," he said.

A dispute over the islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan, has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty to officially end World War Two hostilities. The islands were seized by Soviet forces at the end of the conflict.

Medvedev ordered last Wednesday the deployment of additional weapons on the islands, describing them as a "strategic region" of Russia. Maehara responded by saying that Tokyo's resolve "remains absolutely unwavering."

TOKYO, February 14 (RIA Novosti)

February 13, 2011 12:46

Some 400 kg hashish seized by Russia, Azeri anti-drug officers

http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=222013

MOSCOW. Feb 13 (Interfax) - Nearly 400 kilograms of Afghan hashish have been seized during a joint operation conducted by the Russian Drug Control Service (FSKN) and Azerbaijan's National Security Ministry.

This year, the FSKN and the Azeri ministry have conducted a series of successful operations to close Afghan hashish supply channels to Russia, the FSKN told Interfax. In January, the FSKN received intelligence from its Azeri colleagues about plans to smuggle Afghan hashish to Russia via Azerbaijan.

"The three operations resulted in the total seizure of almost 390 kilograms of Afghan hashish, preventing 807,000 one-off doses of dangerous pot from reaching the consumer and the income of over 15 million narcodollars into the criminal world," the FSKN said.

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Developments around Manas Transit Center from Russian journalist’s point of view

14/02-2011 08:49

There is nothing astonishing that developments in Kyrgyzstan attract attention of foreign journalists including Russian ones. One of them is Grigory Pasko who visited our republic many times and met with many counterparts, human right advocates, politicians, politologists and businessmen.

You can read his article about fuel supply to Manas Transit Center, a topic of hour today, here.

URL: http://eng.24.kg/biznes-info/2011/02/14/16226.html

Barred British Reporter Allowed Back Into Russia

http://www.rferl.org/content/barred_british_reporter_allowed_back_into_russia/2308322.html
February 14, 2011

A British "Guardian" journalist barred from Russia last week after reporting on leaked U.S. diplomatic cables critical of Russian officials has said he had been able to return.

Authorities turned back Moscow correspondent Luke Harding citing administrative problems linked to his accreditation.

He told AFP news agency by e-mail on February 13 that he was back in Moscow.

The Foreign Press Association said he returned on February 12 with a new visa and his accreditation was ready.

"The Guardian" said the incident was believed to be the first removal of a British staff journalist from the country since the end of the Cold War.

compiled from agency reports

GOOGLE TRANSLATION

February 14, 2011 10:32
Military satellite, "Geo-IR-2" could turn into space junk

http://www.interfax.ru/news.asp?id=177347

Moscow. February 14. Interfax-AVN - Geodetic Spacecraft Military Geo-IR-2, descended February 1 unplanned orbit in the coming months may remain without power and damaged.
"The spacecraft is designed for operation in orbit, where its solar panels would be constantly illuminated by the Sun, so powerful sources of autonomous power supply it is not available. Nonisobaric Being on the orbit, the satellite after a while, will increasingly fall into the shaded area of the world. A few minutes work on the dark side of Earth would be enough to fully discharge its power system and bring the machine out of action "- told Interfax-AVN," a source in the space industry.
Once left without power, it is likely that the system does not re-turned on, and so he said, the spacecraft will turn into a "piece of metal worth millions of rubles."

Medvedev to chair meeting on employment issues

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/02/14/44215405.html
Feb 14, 2011 01:20 Moscow Time

 President Dmitry Medvedev today chairs a special meeting dealing with employment issues. Earlier, the head of state repeatedly addressed the issue, vowing to keep a close eye on it.

  According to official figures, Russia has registered more than a million and a half unemployed. The most difficult situation dates to 2009, when the total number of unemployed exceeded 9% of the working-age population.

  Medvedev instructed the government to specifically monitor the employment situation in the so-called single-industry towns. This year the cabinet plans to reduce unemployment in these cities to 2%.

14 February 2011, 10:08

Medvedev suggests tougher penalty for inciting ethnic and religious hatred

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=8189

Ufa, February 14, Interfax - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has urged prosecutors, investigators and judges to take into account aggravating factors when qualifying crimes of inciting ethnic hatred.

"One might consider toughening responsibility for inciting ethnic and religious hatred," Medvedev said at a meeting of the State Council presidium on ethnic issues.

"Often very strict sanctions do not work in our country simply because of such a penal policy," he said.

Therefore, "above all it is a matter of how such sanctions are being understood by prosecutors, investigators and judges."
14 February 2011, 10:01

Medvedev's visit to mosque will consolidate inter-religious peace in Russia - Kadyrov

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=8188

Grozny, February 14, Interfax - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has said that the visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the Ufa Mosque should be seen as an exceptionally good sign for millions of Muslims.

"It is a big joy for Russian Muslims. It is an important event not only in the religious but also socio-political life of all Russians. Regardless of the religion of every one of them," Kadyrov told journalists.

"The head of state demonstrated to all citizens that he as a Constitutional guarantor supports all religions. Thus he drew a line under the desire by certain forces to expose Islam in a negative light," he said.

"The president is not visiting the mosque out of mere curiosity, just for the sake of sightseeing. He is doing so to show all the leaders what an attitude towards religion should be like. Now it is important for everyone in charge of building inter-religious and inter-ethnic relations in Russia to realize that," Kadyrov said.

14 February 2011, 11:12

Mufti denies Muslim clerics will be put through lie detectors

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=8191

Kazan, February 14, Interfax - The interim mufti of the Russian republic of Tatarstan denied as "a lot of lies and slander" allegations that Russian authorities plan to appoint senior Muslim clerics and put them to lie detector tests in fighting religious extremism.

"It's a lot of lies and slander," Ildus Faizov told Interfax in comments on words by Gabdulla Galiullin, imam of the Nurullah mosque in Kazan, the Tatar capital.

"I believe that man just decided to hype himself up and wake up mobs in a bid to earn some political dividends for himself ahead of an election for the new mufti of Tatarstan," Faizov said.

Galiullin had organized a demonstration on Friday outside the Kazan Kremlin during which he disseminated leaflets claiming, in part, that imams in the Novosheshminsk district had had their homes searched because they were suspected of links to Islamist militants.

Law enforcement agencies said the demonstration had brought together about 20 people, mostly elderly women.

Galiullin also claimed that government officials, at a meeting with Novosheshminsk imams on January 25, warned that Muslims would have their rights restricted.

"I have contacted the muhtasib of the Novosheshminsk district and it turned out that Galiullin was not present at the meeting between the head of administration of that district and a representative of the office of the president of Tatarstan, on the one hand, and imams, on the other, and that he effectively distorted their words," Faizov said.

Faizov said that, at the meeting, the officials had asked the clerics to explain to their congregations dangers of radical teachings and warn them against any forms of extremism.

"There were no bans on the wearing of the hijab [Muslim women's head cover] or any statements about the appointment of imams or putting them to polygraph tests. These are all lies," Faizov said.